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Travel + Leisure
06-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
The Southern Lights Are Just as Magical as the Northern Lights—and Now's the Best Time to Catch Them
While the northern lights often steal the spotlight, their southern counterpart—aurora australis—offers an equally dazzling display of its own. It paints the sky green, violet, red, but catching a glimpse requires both good luck and latitude. Like the northern lights, the southern lights are born from solar particles colliding with the Earth's magnetic field, like during a solar storm. But unlike the northern lights, which are visible from many places in the Northern Hemisphere, the southern lights are more elusive and notoriously more difficult to see. That's largely because there's so little land near the South Pole to view it from, leaving only a handful of remote spots on Earth to experience this polar light show. To catch the southern lights, you'll need to be positioned at high southern latitudes that are close to the magnetic South Pole. And for the best view of the lights, you'll want to be in a place with low humidity and long, dark nights (factors that also make for great stargazing). Places like Antarctica, Tasmania, and New Zealand sometimes offer glimpses of the elusive southern lights, but one of the most compelling places to witness the celestial event is in Patagonia, the mountainous expanse that straddles southern Argentina and Chile. The Andes Mountains that sprawl across much of Patagonia, and act as the dividing line between Argentina and Chile, offer the right latitude to catch the southern lights' colorful dance along with spectacular viewing conditions and a mountainous backdrop. The phenomenon is most visible during the austral winter, from May through August, when the nights are long and dark. Amid Patagonia's stark beauty and solitude, the southern lights often reveal themselves—quietly and brilliantly. Most southern-lights-seekers come to Patagonia via Ushuaia, Argentina, which is sometimes called 'the end of the world' and is part of the southernmost and least populated Argentine province. Ushuaia provides access to Tierra del Fuego National Park and is the starting point for many Antarctica cruises, which is another great place to catch the lights. With 'noctourism'—the growing interest in after-dark travel experiences—emerging as one of 2025's leading trends, many travelers are setting their sights on the aurora borealis. But the more elusive prize lies farther south. According to annual travel predictions, more than half of American travelers are now considering destinations with darker skies in hopes of stargazing or catching a cosmic spectacle. In Patagonia, where the night stretches and the landscape remains blissfully unspoiled, the dream of rare nocturnal discovery feels closer—and infinitely more magical.
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Aurora australis: southern lights dazzle across New Zealand and Australia's east coast
People photograph aurora australis, also known as the southern lights, on the horizon over Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch on 1 June. The displays are produced by a geomagnetic storm, and a product of the sun launching charged particles towards Earth. When those particles interact with Earth's magnetic field they create stunning displays at the poles known as auroras. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The Milky Way with the aurora australis, also known as the southern lights, over Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images A man takes photographs of aurora australis on the horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images The aurora australis over Lake Ellesmere, New Zealand. Photograph: Grant Birley People photograph the aurora australis on the horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch on 1 June. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images The aurora australis seen from Gerringong, in NSW. Photograph: David Metcalf/DJM Images People observe the aurora australis, also known as the southern lights, over Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images The aurora australis glows on the horizon over the waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch in New Zealand. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images Paul Kerr was able to capture this stunning vista of the aurora australis from Canberra. Photograph: Paul Kerr/Hold Still Photography
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Bright green meteor zooms past Sydney as auroras dazzle across Australia
A bright green meteor was seen zooming past Sydney on Sunday as spectacular southern lights lit up the skies across most of Australia and New Zealand. A Sydney resident named Tom McCallister posted a video of the meteor, about the size of a basketball, traversing the city's skies. 'Absolutely magnificent meteor seen travelling east to west over Sydney this evening,' Mr McCallister captioned the video posted on Facebook. 'This was looking north at 17:57 local time.' Astrophysicist Brad Tucker, from the Australian National University, agreed that the object was indeed a meteor due to its unique blue-green colour, indicative of iron and nickel content. Anyone else just see a green, long meteor over Canberra? Tried to get a photo but I've only got slow shutter speeds on - out waiting for Aurora Australis instead - but that's a good start to the night! — Nat (@raurkyn) June 1, 2025 People across New Zealand and on Australia's east coast were also treated to a dazzling display of southern lights on Sunday. Many skygazers later shared photos of aurora australis on social media. The space weather phenomenon is caused when bursts of charged particles released from the Sun – known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs – interact with the Earth's magnetic field, creating what's called a geomagnetic storm. The lights are called aurora australis in the southern hemisphere and aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere. Pictures posted on social media showed the sky glowing in hues of pink, red and green, with slight traces of yellow. The colours come from different molecules in the atmosphere getting charged by the Earth's magnetic field. Oxygen gives off a fluorescent green hue while nitrogen molecules interacting with the magnetic field generate a blue, red or pink shade. Auroras are seen when a strong solar storm from the Sun hits the Earth. They are more clearly visible around polar regions since the magnetic field is the strongest there. Aurora Australis dancing over Merimbula Lake in NSW, Australia this evening. — Fiona Brook (@The_Feefenator) June 1, 2025 Astronomers have predicted a strong geomagnetic storm on Sunday and Monday after a powerful CME was seen erupting from the Sun on Friday. The latest CME also caused aurora borealis across most of the continental US as far down south as Alabama. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the possibility of a severe geomagnetic storm remained 'in effect'. 'There are indications that the coronal mass ejection passage is weakening, but the solar wind conditions remain elevated, therefore additional periods of G3-G4 levels remain possible,' the NOAA said, using the designations for strong and severe category storms. 'However, we now anticipate that conditions should weaken enough by tomorrow evening, 2 June, that G1 storm levels are the most likely peak response.' The Sun is currently at the peak of its 11-year activity cycle.
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Bright green meteor zooms past Sydney as auroras dazzle across Australia
A bright green meteor was seen zooming past Sydney on Sunday as spectacular southern lights lit up the skies across most of Australia and New Zealand. A Sydney resident named Tom McCallister posted a video of the meteor, about the size of a basketball, traversing the city's skies. 'Absolutely magnificent meteor seen travelling east to west over Sydney this evening,' Mr McCallister captioned the video posted on Facebook. 'This was looking north at 17:57 local time.' Astrophysicist Brad Tucker, from the Australian National University, agreed that the object was indeed a meteor due to its unique blue-green colour, indicative of iron and nickel content. People across New Zealand and on Australia 's east coast were also treated to a dazzling display of southern lights on Sunday. Many skygazers later shared photos of aurora australis on social media. The space weather phenomenon is caused when bursts of charged particles released from the Sun – known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs – interact with the Earth's magnetic field, creating what's called a geomagnetic storm. The lights are called aurora australis in the southern hemisphere and aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere. Pictures posted on social media showed the sky glowing in hues of pink, red and green, with slight traces of yellow. The colours come from different molecules in the atmosphere getting charged by the Earth's magnetic field. Oxygen gives off a fluorescent green hue while nitrogen molecules interacting with the magnetic field generate a blue, red or pink shade. Auroras are seen when a strong solar storm from the Sun hits the Earth. They are more clearly visible around polar regions since the magnetic field is the strongest there. Astronomers have predicted a strong geomagnetic storm on Sunday and Monday after a powerful CME was seen erupting from the Sun on Friday. The latest CME also caused aurora borealis across most of the continental US as far down south as Alabama. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the possibility of a severe geomagnetic storm remained 'in effect'. 'There are indications that the coronal mass ejection passage is weakening, but the solar wind conditions remain elevated, therefore additional periods of G3-G4 levels remain possible,' the NOAA said, using the designations for strong and severe category storms. 'However, we now anticipate that conditions should weaken enough by tomorrow evening, 2 June, that G1 storm levels are the most likely peak response.' The Sun is currently at the peak of its 11-year activity cycle.
ABC News
30-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Auroroa australis lights up the sky over southern Australia
An alert about a geomagnetic storm might not sound like a good thing, but it's exactly the kind of notification photographers of the southern night sky want to be getting. These storms are behind a phenomenon called the aurora australis, or the southern lights, which produce a colourful light show. And that's just what happened in some southern parts of the country last night. Here are some stunning examples shared to the ABC's Weather Obsessed Facebook page: These photographers are among many who post their snaps to the Facebook group. It's a public group where people share pictures and weather updates from around the country — and many other parts of the world. Lately there's been a lot of snaps of frosts and autumnal leaves, but it is flooded with aurora photos when geomagnetic storms flare up. It's a phenomenon when the sky in the Southern Hemisphere is lit up by glowing whirls of colour. "Australis" comes from the Latin word for "southern". In the Northern Hemisphere, it's the aurora borealis, or the northern lights. Geomagnetic storms. They're triggered by something called coronal mass ejections. "A coronal mass ejection is the literal ejection of material from the Sun out into space," Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (ASWFC) forecaster Andrew Jackling said. This sends charged particles from the Sun towards Earth, causing geomagnetic storms that can disrupt Earth's magnetic field. "Kind of like in a normal thunderstorm, your shutters on your house would get a bit rattled by the wind and the rain," he said. In a geomagnetic storm, the disruption can cause atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere to emit bright, colourful light. And that's what gives us these whirls of colourful lights in the sky. That depends on how strong the geomagnetic storm is but, generally speaking, it'll be visible in southern parts of the country. So Tasmania is your best bet. But you might also be able to catch glimpses of it in southern parts of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and, if you're lucky, New South Wales. The ASWFC, which is part of the Bureau of Meteorology, sends out geomagnetic storm alerts via email. If you sign up to the ASWFC alerts via this online portal, you'll get an email when there's an alert. But before you head south, make sure to pay attention to the a G-scale rating to make a judgement about whether it'll be worth your while. This scale rates global geomagnetic activity, which ranges from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). Alerts will have a G rating, where the higher the rating, the greater the chance of a spectacular light show. You should also have a squiz at the ASWFC's dedicated Aurora website, which will give you an idea of how severe the geomagnetic storm is. And keep in mind that local weather and Moon cycles can impact how you see an aurora. Heavy cloud coverage might block out the glow. And the light from a full or nearly Moon could make the aurora appear duller — same goes for light pollution from populated areas. So it's best to find a spot on a beach or hill out of town with a clear view to the south.
